Thomas Garrett: Life in the 21st century requires a thicker skin

Thomas Garrett

What a difference a week makes. It's amazing how quickly circumstances change as new information becomes available, a lesson all of us in the press should remember in these days of instant journalism.

A week ago, I criticized two individuals for their "movie" that, at the time, reportedly had been the catalyst for riots and protests in Islamic countries against the United States. It turns out while the YouTube video did enrage Muslim extremists, the rage in Libya appears to have been used as a cover by terrorists to attack the American embassy. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the assault.

At least, that's what several American officials and even the Libyan premier subsequently have said was the case. According to the premier, there hadn't been any previous protests before the assault on the embassy. After reading news reports about the assault, as the investigation continues that appears to be a very likely scenario for what happened, particularly when you consider there were violent protests in Egypt and other countries reportedly due to the video, but none to the extreme of what happened in Bengazi.

I voiced an opinion about the men responsible for the video that, nonetheless, did incite anger among Muslims before I knew the rest of the story - as Paul Harvey used to say. What happened in Libya does seem to be an act of terrorism and not just insulted Muslims. On that, I stand corrected.

They were well within their rights in America to express themselves, and that I will defend. This is America where we can say whatever we want. That's one of our greatest freedoms, being able to express ourselves no matter how crude, disrespectful, offensive or insensitive it may be. As I said, that's why their video remained on YouTube.

Even author Salman Rushdie, who has experienced the benefits of the First Amendment and the wrath of Muslim fundamentalists, thinks the "filmmakers" were being jerks, although he used a more earthy description, but defended their right to do it. He pointed out in an interview last week there is a difference between expressing ideas for debate and discussion in an artistic format and deliberate, crude provocation.

However, I still think theirs was an irresponsible exercise of that freedom because they knew what Muslims' reactions would be, and they provided an excuse for Islamic extremists to feel insulted and take to the street against American embassies and businesses.

To be honest, however, Islamic extremists need little reason to feel provoked, insulted or take to the streets. And that's part of the rest of the story, too. I think former President Clinton addressed the question of how Muslims reacted, or overreacted, quite well on "CBS This Morning" on Tuesday.

In essence, he said they need to develop thicker skins to live in the 21st century (although some contend they'd prefer going back instead of forward).

"We have learned the hard way, over more than 200 years, that in order to preserve freedom, and liberty, including the freedom of religion, you have to allow people to say and do things that you find abhorrent. And you can't react every time you're insulted," said Mr. Clinton, who compared the Islamic reaction to the way a child would react in fear to something that is said.

"If you live in a shame-based society where you think nothing good's going to happen, the temptation is to wait for somebody to say something you'd find offensive, and you can lash out against it," said the former president. "But, free people absorb destructive things and refuse to be destroyed.

"You cannot live in a shame-based world. You won't make it in the 21st century. There's too much diversity. There's too much stuff going on the Internet You've got to be able to say, if you believe in Islam, that, 'I believe in a god and a prophet strong enough to withstand the criticisms of petty, narrow-minded, mean-spirited people. I believe that the cultural crassness I abhor will, in the end, fall before the values that I exalt.'"

Quite honestly, I agree with Mr. Clinton on that point. In this time, when anyone with a cell phone can send offensive comments or images worldwide within seconds, practitioners of Islam need to be more tolerant of the rest of the world rather than the other way around. They need to catch up with the world instead of trying to drag it down every time someone, somewhere says, writes, draws or films something they don't like.

Thomas Garrett is opinion page editor of The Baxter Bulletin and can be reached at sgarrett@baxterbulletin.com.

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Thomas Garrett: Life in the 21st century requires a thicker skin

What a difference a week makes. It's amazing how quickly circumstances change as new information becomes available, a lesson all of us in the press should remember in these days of instant journalism.